Fastening meamts and operating member therefor



April 17, 1928, 1,666,110

N. STATHAM FASTENING MEANS AND OPERATING MEMBER THEREFOR Filed May 2. 1925 6.0 I N V EN TOR. MJVam ATTOR I so Patented Apr. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

FASTENING MEANS AND OPERATING MEMBER THEREFOR.

Application filed May 2, 1925.- Serial No. 27,427.

My present invention relates to closures for pouches, bags and the like, and to means for operating the same, as well as to the pouches, bags and the like embodying such. closures and operating means therefor, and aims to devise articles of the general char acter referred to which are simple in construction, easy and economical to fabricate and to apply, andwhich are simple and convenient in operation, the closure-operating means of the present invention being characterized by their efficiency for the designated purpose, and the pouches, bags and the like embodying the closures or closure operating means of the present invention being characterized by their neatness and attractiveness of appearance, their long wear, and the tightness of the closure in the completed pouch, bag or the like,- the property of tightness of the closure being highly desirable for obvious reasons.

In the acompanying specification I shall describe, and in the annexed drawing show, several illustrative embodiments of the pres- 7 cut invention. It is, however, to be clearly understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof herein shown and described for purposes of example merely.

Referring to the drawing, wherein I have illustrated the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the present invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a tobacco pouch comprising one of the aforesaid. illustrative embodiments of,

the present invention;

Fig. 1 is a cross section on line 1-1 of Fig. 1; i I Fig. 1 isa fragmentary side. view of a further modification; I

Fig. 1 is a cross section on line 1-+1 of Fig. 1 Fig. 2 is a side View on an. enlarged scale of the operating member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view on an enlarged scale of the operating member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. ,4 is a bottom plan view on an enlarged scale of the operating member illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a'fragmentary side elevation on an enlarged scale of a secondv illustrative embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation on an enlarged scale of the third and, last illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the aforesaid illustrative embodiments of the present invention, and particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3and 4: of the drawing illustrating one of the embodiments referred to, 10 indicates a tobacco pouch or equivalent device made up of two plies 11 and 12 of a suitable flexible or other fabric, such as leather. The two plies 11 and 12 of the fabric of which the pouch 10 is made are so applied to each other that their edge portions 13 and 1 1, respectively, liev parallelly to each other, providing an opening 15 ,to which the closure means of the present invention is intended to be applied. l

The two plies 11 and 12 of the pouch 10 each carry a series offasteners 16, the series of fasteners carried by the ply 11 being adapted to cooperate with the series of fats teners carried by the ply 12L In theform illustrated herein by way of example merely, I have shown a series of cooperating snap fasteners, the female fasteners 16 being carried by the ply 11 and the cooperating-male fasteners 16 being carried by the ply 12 in proper positions to enable the female fasteners of one series to receive the male fasteners of the other series. The snap or equivalent fasteners 16 are attached in any suitable manner to the respective plies 11 and, 12 of and 14 shall. be in the form of'a head or en-.

largment, the head of the member 13 being indicated by referencecharacter13 and the corresponding head of member 14: being inedicated by reference character 14 Cooperating with the series of fasteners 16 and with thebeaded edges 13 and 14" defining the opening 15 in the pouch 10, is

a key or operating member for the fasteners, generally designated byreferenoe character 17 and shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing. As illustrated, the key or operating member 17 comprises a main body portion 18 in the form of a central web;

portion. Depending from the main body 1 portion 18 are the substantially parallelly disposed channelled members 19, 19, providno I ing the operating member 17 into and out of closing and opening positions. Prefer ably the channelled members 19, 19, are provided with the depending closing members 20, 20, these members serving to bring the necessary pressure to bear upon the cooperating fasteners 16 and 16 to cause the same tobecome engaged in operating the device into closed position.

Depending from the main body or central web portion 18 ofthe operating member 17, asby being brazed thereto, is the key or opening portion generally designated by reference character 21 and preferably disposed at the end of the operating member 17 opposite to'the end carrying the members 19, 19, and 20, 20. The keyor openingmemb'er 21 is' preferably wedge-shaped and consists of the" main body portion 22 from' which de pends, as bybeingan integral continuation thereof, the channelled key portion. 23pmvided with the channel 24'for receiving and guiding the heads ofthe male snap fasteners 16", as shown more clearly infigs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing. Preferably the exposed edges'of the'wedgeportion23 are bevelled, as indicated at 25, to render the operation of the key to open the fasteners easier and smoother. I also provide'the key portion 23 with an inwardly turned substantially triangular cutaway portion 26having the bevelled edge 25, as already described, the cutaway portion 26' and the opening defined thereby serving to guide'the heads of the male snap fasteners 16 into position, whereby the key portion23will serve in an efiicient andquite'mannerto open the snap fas teners'lfi. 7

The construction of the device has bee sufiiciently made clear by the foregoing description. The key or operating member 17 is preferably made in two parts which are brazed together, one part comprising the portions 18, 19and20 which may be made as' an integral stamping, and the other part comprising the "key portion 21' which may likewise be made of an integral stampingand which is-brazed or otherwise suitably attached device 1 In operation the key 17 is snapped into place with the beads 13 and 14'. i entering the corresponding channels 19 of thechannelled members 19forming partsof the key 17. Assuming that the fasteners to the right of the key or operating member 17 in Fig. 1"

of the drawing are'closed and those tothe left of thekey or operating member 17 are open, the movement of-the member 17 to the left in Fig. l of the drawin'gby bringing the closing members 20 intocontact-with bo'th sides' of thepouchand the e'dgeportions thereof carrying the cooperating male and female fasteners 16" and 16", respectively,-

causes the key or operating member 17 to to the'main I web portion 18 of the close the open snap fasteners to the left of the operating member, as shown in Fig. l of the drawing. Thereafter, movement of the key or operating member 17 to the right, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, by bringingthe key or wedge-shaped opening member 21 in between the male and female snap fastener members 16 and 16", respectively, causes the closed fasteners to be opened and the pouch to be unlocked. This action is facilitated-by the shape of the key or opening member 21, particularly by the pro vision of the channel 2 1 for receiving and guiding the heads of the male snap fastener members 16 and by the provision of the guiding opening 26 and the bevelled edges 25 defining such opening.

The advantages" of the foregoing construction are numerousand of great practi cal importance. The device is simple in construction, and easy and coiiivenient to fabricate, assemble and operate. In operationthe device is'very smooth and provides a tight closure which may even be watertight, due to the firm pressure between the two beaded edges 13 and 1 1' of the pouch 10 under the spring action of the snap fasteners 16 which have the usual spring detents for holding the cooperating male and female snapfasteners in spring-pressed rclation when assembled. The device has other advantages ineonstruction, operation, and use, including a. wide range of applicability, which will readily occur to those skilled in the art to'which the present in vention relates. v

' Referring to Fig. 5 ofthe drawing where in I have illustrated another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the pouch 50 or its equivalent thereillustrated. is provided with the same arrangement of fast toners 51 and beaded edges 52am! 523 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. or operating member 5-l is, hoWevexgwliflerently construct-ed, beingprovided with the central web portion 55' and thcchannclled guiding members 56, to ether with the depending closing plates oi. At its other 'end the key or operating member 5% carries a forwardly protruding unchannelleid web portion 57 which serves by expanding the beaded portions 52 and'53 and the associated edge portions of thesides of the pouch, to open the fasteners 51 in onedirection of the movement of the key or operatii'lg member 5 (in'this ease in the direction of the movement of the key or operating member 54-to the right in Fig. 5 of the drawing) and in the other direction of its movement (in this case its movement to the left of Fig. 50f the drawing) to close the fasteners by the pressure exerted-by the closing plateso'l on the two sides of the pouch adjacent the successive fasteners, in a manner which will be clear to those skilled in the'art to which the The key 5 of the drawing.

present invention relates. Otherwise, the construction, operation, use and advantages of this form of the device are the same as for the species shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. of the drawing already described.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 6 of the drawing wherein I have illustrated the last remaining illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the pouch or equivalent device 60 therein illustrated comprises the series of snap fasteners 61, but the edges 62 andk63 of the material of which this pouch or its equivalent is made are without any beads or similar guiding means. Guid ing means for the key or operating member 64 are providedby means of the raised outer portions 65 of the fasteners 61 which are placed closely enough together to provide the necessary guiding and bearing means for the operation of the key or operating member into open or closed position of the pouch. The construction of the key or operating member 64 may otherwise be like that of either Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4; or like that of Fig.

Otherwise the construction, operation, use and advantages of this last form of the device are the same as for the two embodiments of the invention previously described.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 1 of the drawing where I have illus I trateda further modification of the present invention, the pouch or equivalent device therein illustrated comprises the fabric portions 71 and 72 carrying the corresponding series of male and female snap'fasteners 73 and 74, respectively. The fasteners 7 3 and 74 instead of being attached directly to the fabric. portions 71 and 72 makingup the pouch, are fastened to the strips 75 and 76 which are attached to the fabric portions 71 and 72, respectively. Accordingly, the snap fasteners carried. by the pouch in this form of the invention may be spaced much further apart than the snap fasteners shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing while still providing satisfactory guiding means for the key or operating member 77, which latter may be similar to the construction for'the operating members shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, at, 5 or 6 of the drawing. In this'form of the invention, the guiding means for the operating member 77 are not provided by any beaded edge as in the case of the devices illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, of the drawing, nor by a closely arranged series of fasteners as in the case of the device shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, but by the raised strip portions 75 and 76 in combination with the fasteners carried thereon, but principally by the raised strip portions themselves. Otherwise the construction, operation, use and advantages of this form of the device are the same as for the three embodiments of the invention previously described.

pairs of the fasteners and being provided with a channel for receiving a portion 'of each one of the fasteners of each pair of fasteners, said key portion being provided with a cutaway guiding portion.

, 2. Operating means for a longitudinally disposed series of cooperating pairs of snap fasteners, comprising a main body portion and a depending substantially centrally disposedkey portion, said key portion being adapted to enter in between and to open cooperating pairs of the snap fasteners and being provided with a channel for receiving the head of the malefastener of eachpairof snap fasteners, said key portion being provided with a cutaway guiding portion.

Operating means for a longitudinally disposed series of cooperating pairs of fasteners, comprising a main body portion 4. Operating means for a longitudinally disposed series of cooperating pairs of snap fasteners, comprising a main body portion and. a depending substantially centrally disposed key portion, said key portion. being adapted to enter in between and to open cooperating pairs of the snap fasteners and being provided with a channel for receiving the head of the male fastener of each pair of snap fasteners, said key portion beingpro-.

vided with. a cutaway guiding portion, in combination with a plurality ofsubstantiat ly parallelly disposed cooperating closing members associated with. said main body portion and laterally disposed with respect thereto forpressing cooperating pairs of said snap fasteners into locking engagement with each other. I

5. A pouch, bag'or the like, comprising a plurality of cooperating fabric port-ions, presenting a pair of substantially parallelly disposed edges defining an opening of saidpouch, bag or the like, each of said edges being provided with means for guiding an operating member, a series of fasteners on one of said fabric portions, a. cooperating series of fastenerson the other of said fabric portions, and an operating member operably to become engaged with each other.

6. A poucln-bag or the like, comprising a plurality of cooperating fabric portions, presenting a pair of substantially parallelly disposed edges defining an opening. of said I? pouch, bag or the like, each of said edges being provided with means comprising a head for guiding an operating. member, a series of fasteners on one of said fabriciportions, a cooperating series of fasteners on the other of said fabric portions, and an operating member operably mounted on said fabric portions and having portions cooperating with said guiding means, said operating member being provided adjacentone end thereof with a depending substantially wedge-shaped key member for disengaging said fasteners and being provided adjacent the other end thereof with a plurality of depending cooperating closing members for causing said fasteners to become engaged with each other.

7. A pouch, bag or the like, comprising a plurality of cooperating fabric portions, presenting a pair of substantially parallelly disposed edges defining an opening of said pouch, bag or the like, each of said edges being provided with means comprising a raised portion for guiding an operating member, a series of snap fasteners on one of said fabric portions, a cooperating series of snap fasteners on the other of said fabric portions, and an operating member operably mountedonsaid fabric portions and having portions cooperating with said guiding means, said operating member being provided adjacent one end thereof with a depending substantially wedge-shaped key member for disengaging said snap fasteners in one direction of its movement alongisaid guiding means and' being provided'along the other end thereof with a plurality of depending cooperating closing members for causing said snap fastenersto become engaged with each other in the opposite direction of its movement along said guiding means.

8. A pouch, bag or the like, comprising a plurality of cooperating fabric portions, presenting a pair of substantially parallelly disposed edges defining an opening of said pouch, bag or the like, each of said edges being provided with means comprising a bead for guiding an operating member, a series of snap fasteners on one of-said fabric portions, a cooperating series of snapfastoners on the other of said fabric portions, and an operating member operably mounted on said fabric portions and having portions cooperating with said guiding means, said operating member being provided adjacent one end thereof with a depending substantially wedge-shaped key member for disengaging said snap fasteners in one direction of its movement alongsaid guiding means and being provided along the other end thereof with a plurality of depending cooperating closing members for causing said snap fas teners to become engaged with'each other in the opposite direction of'its movement along said guiding means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this'specification this 3rd day of April, 1925.

NOEL STATHAM. 

